Apparatus for casing cured leaf tobacco



July 21, 1931. J. w. SMALL ET AL 1,815,305

APPARATUS FOR CASING CURED LEAF TOBACCO ,Original Filed Dec. 20. 192' 3 Sheets-Sheet l I g gmwou H 1'! lzwmonl eazes, b g 3 um; Jamsn fflrnall,

July 21, 1931. .1. w. SMALL ET AL APPARATUS FOR CASING CURED LEAF TOBACCO 3 Sheets-Shet 2 Original Filed Dec. 20, 192' lllllllnllllllilrlllalll Barnonfbls Jame-s WSmaiZ,

July 21, 1931. J. w. SMALL ET-AL 1,815,805

APPARATUS FOR CASING CURED LEAF TOBACCO Original Filed Dec. 20, 192 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VENT'OR'S .Ramnnf'bles I James Wfimali,

Patented July 2 1, 1931" mam-mm PATENTo OFFICE invention relates to an improved NEW JERSEY If [JAMES w. smart, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AnDnAMon FEBLES, or PASSAIC,

APPARA US non CASING cunEn LEAF TOBACCO Application filed December 20, 1927.. Serial no.;241,42o.

method'of casingcuredtobacco in accordance flwith the general practice .set' forth in Patents1,585,476ahd1,585,477 dated May 18,

1926,;and more particularly to a methodfor accelerating the casing operation. c

v That is to say, the present method has in view the carrying forward of thegeneral type of apparatus and the method referred to in the above patenas, but aims to provide means whereby the casingoperation will not only be accelerated but the capacity ofthe 7 tion or flow of the confined moisture laden atmachines will be greatly increased. Accordingly, to that end the invention contemplates a method wherein the leaf tobacco is subjected to a confined atmosphere of moving air, laden with moistureto approximately the saturation point, the said air being circulatedin' and around the leaves of tobacco in the suspended hands to effect evenfdistribution of moisture to the inside, leaves as well as to the outsideleaves. In thatconnection the invention contemplates a gentle circulamosphere which will'avoid the concentration of moisture at any particular location within the apparatus thereby preventing over-casingot certain of the leavesand the starving I of others.

With the above and ethe objects iniview which will more readily. appear as the nature 1 a. of the invention is better ;understood, the 1 same; cons1stsin the novel construction, C0111? jbination and arrangement of parts herein- 1 after ,more fully described, illustrated and claimed. 1

" A preferred and practical form of appar- Figure 2 is an enlarged detail vertical secatus for carrying the method into-effectvis illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings in which p -Figurel is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the improvedapparatus;

tional view Figure 1. p

Figure 3 isavertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure2. Similar reference characters designate cor-,

of the construction shown -responding parts throughout theseverail fig- :ures ofthedrawings.

In carrying the present invention into efs fect it is proposed toprov ide means for hastan atmosphere until it becomesjproperly cased. WVhen a hand of tobacco is suspended in a moisture satur'atedatmosphere the outer leaves and the tips and'edges of the under leaves absorb the required degree of moisture quickly with respect to the time required for the concealed orprotected leaves at the core of the hand. Heretofore, due to the way that the tobacco must be suspended in the moisture laden atmosphere the casing process has been less speedy than desired. Accordingly, with a view to speeding up thecasing operation under the same circumstances and conditions and for the same purposes as set forth in the former patents referred to, it is pro posed to gently move or circulate the confined moisture laden air in and about the leaves of tobacco, thereby not only reducing the time element of the casing operation but also increasing the-capacity of themachine by reason of more quickly releasing successive batches of tobacco.

In the foregoing connection it is pointed .out that the action of circulating the moisture laden air according to the present method is to be distinguished from forcing or blowing such air under pressure since it only is intended to gently move or circulate the moisture laden air so that it will thoroughly and adequately reach, in a minimum period, all of the absorbing surfaces of the tobacco leaves. In that connection, it is pointed out that the forcing or blowing of the moisture laden air a stream would localize the air jets in spots thereby; spotting the leaves and therefore cause precisely the undesirable result which this series of inventions are intended effect ually to obviate by providing adequate means for distribution and circulation. y c c When the air is v not circulated, and the tobacco is merely allowed to absorb moisture from the confined air, ithas been foundthat while the casing is very effective nevertheless time which limits the capacity of the machine. When the tobacco is hung in the apparatus the leaves are dry and loosely separated, but the outside leaves (or, when the hand is placed astride a partition having a wick, the inside leaves) take on the moisture quickly because they ar'edirectly exposed and thus become limp and fall together or have a tendency to pack and form a blanket which prevents the moisture laden air froin'reaching the interior leaves of the hand unless and until adequate time s allowed for the inside leaves to and thus on the whole,

' Suspended from the upper reservoir or well have their avidity for moisture satisfied.

Accordingly, the present invention aims to circulate the moisture laden air gently through the leaves of the handsoftobacco in such away that while the'lea'ves are comparatively stiff and separated, the moisture laden air will be circulated through andabout all iof themand'thus speed up the casing of the interior leaves to more closely approximate the normal casing period of the outer leaves greatly accelerate the entire casing process. 7

Therefore, it is pointed out that the present process contemplates the gentle moving or shifting of the confined moisture laden air in such a way that it is brought wall of the surfaces of the leaves of the hands of tobacco uniformly and within a comparatively short space of time.

according to the type of apparatus shown inthe drawings, it is proposed to provide a receptacle designated generally as 1 and provided with a tight fitting cover 2, the same having therein an upper reservoir 3 and a lower reservoir 4 which communicates with the upper reservoir by means of a pipe line 5 having therein a pump 6 wh ch maintains the proper level of water in both reservoirs, withthe aid of the ball float valve device V in the upper reservoir 3 which controls the water from the feed pipe or source of supsuppliedwith water to thereby maintain a uniformly saturated atmosphere throughout the closed receptacle. By'reason of the pro- 3, entirely around the inside of the machine,

Hare'suitable wicks 7 ofburlap or the like which extend from the upper reservoir downwar'dly into the bottom reservoir thereby to provide a moisture saturated interior wall which surrounds aforaminous basket designated generally as B and having the vertical screened wall portion 8 lying adjacent the Wicks to prevent the contact of the tobacco J therewith. I The bottom wall of said basket B is separat'efrom the side walls and isconsti- I ftuted by a screen member 9 which is horizontally disposed and overlies the reservoir 4, and is supported upon the ribs or brackets 10 on the inside wall ofothe receptacle and has the upperside thereof between the vertical walls 8'cover'ed with a'sheet ofhurlap 11.

i The bottom wall 9- of thebasket therefore .forms the supportonwhich the vertical walls of the basket are mounted. 7

mit of placing the hands of tobacco on the rack in substantially vertical staggered relation so that they will be more readily exposed and more freelyabsorb the required amount of moisture. Each of the racks R includes a horizontal or transverse water trough 12 having therein a wick 13f which is looped ;into the trough so that the opposite sides thereof fall downwardly to the base of the basket and may drip or drain into the lower 7 reservoir 4; Ateach side of the racks 13 are arranged foraminous guard walls or screens 14 which extend the full length of the wick and have the upper ends thereof pro- ,vided with the inturned guard plates 15 which are perforated as at 16 to permit of the air making its way into the part of the hands of tobacco which are tied tight together.

For the purpose of supplying the troughs 12 with water from the upper reservoir 3,

there is provided a pair of supply pipes 17 which are swiveled as at 18 to the reservoirs and have the depending feed pipes 19 and 20, the former supplying the troughs of the lower racks and the latter supplying the troughs of the high racks. Thus, the troughs are supplied from thepipe manifolds 17, which, for convenience, may be pivoted or swiveled to thesides' of the apparatus so that they maybe lifted vertically when desired. From the foregoing it will be apparent that theracks R as well as the entire basket are equipped with wicks which are continuously vision of guard plates 15 at the top ,of the well up into the center of the'tied ends.

Referring now more particularly to the means for carrying into eflectthe novel and distinctive feature of the present invention,

it will be observed that each of the racks R has associated therewith, air circulating means which communicates witha trunk line wherein the'air is circulated over the water in the lower reservoir and thus picks up the moisture from the bottom ofthe reservoir and insures its distribution directly at and to the hands of tobacco suspended by, or supported on, the'racks R.

As shown in Figs. 1 and am air circulating system comprises a" conduit, "manifold 5" time line .22 eittendsthroughout rapidly makes its intothe 'lowerrese'i I fiihe lengthloft thereceptaole and is of transterse-1 archediishaped herniation, being sup-e sported on the beaem er the receptacle {by the feet 23. This arrangement'permits water in the reservoir 4w provide a passage which f'is'--water sealed at the "bottom so that air im- 15 observed non-Fig- 3 The distributing polled through the passageand over the 'wa- 1 'terWill become saturated with moisture as it is gently ted into the offset distributing pipes which are connected with'the top 'of the manifold 22. p

pipes-are designated generally as D and are preferably of substan tiail'ly T shaped formation as will bekclearly oft'he drawings wherein "the upright portion-'24 is connected at its lower end asat 25 ith the meta-llic'member fw ln' chlconstitutes the conduit 22. The side i '{wailils 'ot the pipe 2llareprovided with a plurality of openings 2 4:

and the upperend thereof is provided-with tionQGWhi-ch in turnis provided with a plurality of laterally offset --distriibuting nozzles the perforations 116 in "the i awellfas through the slot or I ibet ween-convengently related guards 1 5 of the :2: 13sothattl1e '27 each providedwith radially disposed ports i 28: in addition to: being open at the ends 29 therebyto distribute the air in all directions,

and particularly direct it inwardly behind the the racks and against the Wicks v moisture laden atmosphere will :be carried into the-crotch of the hand through guardplate '15 as opening provided opposite screens 14. I

. I. For the purpose of maintaining a lowhead --ot.press ure in the icirculatingsystem the conduit orumanifold 22 isprov-i-ded :at one .end with suitableair gimp'elling means which .may-ihe a an or the'l casingancl driven by a motor 3l supported Hon the outside of the lerilxt) is provided also provided with a dis rectlyiwith the water'sealed passage which is p id y the arched conduit-22.

; I, pended on the racks P "It will thus be apparent that when the looseleaved hands of dry tobacco .ares'use R and'the apparatus. is ready to functiomthe humidified air iconfined witl'iinv the receptacle will begently circulated and distributed throughout the entire I receptacle to evenly and uniformly distribute the moisture to all portions of the'hands of tobacco so that the casing process will be greatly facilitated by the even distribution of the moisture, aspreviously indicated.

- As will be observed from Fig. 2, the motor 31 which ac'tuates the impeller 30 maybe pro- 1 'Vid ed with a suitable connectionSlfor operating the water pump '6. Also as previously indicated, it is intended to supply the upper chamber or reservoir 3 with water which a horizontal connecikearranged within the f receptacle. 7 The'impelwith an intake port 32' .which communicates with theinterior of the j ,1basket and is 7 "change icondl iit. 33 which communicates diof the invention volr to provide .a

voir l through the medium of the wicksl7xas well as the wicks 1 3 in the racks, waterbeing i suppliedto the latter through the medium of 1 the troughs 12 which aresupplied by the 'piping system 17,18, 19 and 20. Theretore, is is necessary to prevent the water in the lower compartment 4 from reaching such a level 1 that the circulating system would not function orthat the :ends of' the hands of tobacco would become immersed in water. The provision of the-pump Bhowever takes care of maintaining a proper supply of water in the lower reservoir while thefioat valve V maintains the proper liquid level in the upper "reservoir '3 to replace the waterwhich is ab during the ceasing prosorbedby the tobacco While it is not contemplated by the pres ent inventionto supply a heated atmosphere or heated vapor to the handslof tobacco,fa heated atmosphere being particularly uncle- 'si-rable for casing purposes, nevertheless, since this type of apparatus is intended tosbe' used in connection with ordinary city water supply systems, there are times when the Water is very cold, and under these circumstances, it is desirable to bring the waterywithin the receptacle to n a normal temperature, that is approximately seventy to eighty degrees. To provide "for this contingency,

, suitable electrical heating means 34 may I employed in the lower reservoir or las shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Th-i s'hea ter 34 may resorted to, without departing tron-1 the spirit I and scope of the appended a claims ,4

r We Cililln11+ I bacco including a closed underlying the said 'rac ks, said member-cooperating with the water level in the reserformedc'by said water, a plurality ofverti-cally disposed air distributing members ar-- ranged at t'he locationfof the racks and com- V lVithout further-description it is thought assae whose'bottoin is PV 2 in be of the conventionalcylindrical type hav- 3 all 0 1. 1. ,An apparatus for easing curedlealtoreceptacl'e, reaminous racks for supporting the hands 'of to bacco arrangedwithin the: receptacle, atvater reservoir "in the bottom "of the r-ecept-acleQa' member forming a manifold trunk linelocat-ed at the bottom of the receptacle and municating withisaid conduit,-and 'impeliing meansfassociated with said conduit.

2. "An apparatus for/casing cured leaf to- -bacco comprising a'closed receptacle, a plu- -ralityof foraminous racks of different height i-arranged .-Within the, receptacle, a water reservoir in the receptacle, a conduit forming member constituting a manifold trunk line an'dcooperating with the water in the reser vo'irtoprovide a water sealed passage, a plurality of circulating and distributing members communicating with the conduit mem- Y her, and means for impelling air through said conduit andfeeding the same to said distributing members adjacent the racks- 3. An apparatus for casing curedleaf tobacco including aireceptacle, a cover for the receptacle thereby to provide a confined at mosphere..within the same, means for suspending hands of tobacco within the receptacle, means within the receptacle with moisture comprising upper-and lower water reservoirs,means .for maintaining-the pro-per level of water in receptacle for circulating and recirculating water reservo1r,'a

the confined moisture laden atmosphere.

A. An apparatus for casing cured leaf tobacco. comprisingaclosed receptacle, a top foraminous basket including a bottom member consisting of'screen and burlap supported on the sides of the receptacle, and a rectangular vertical s de wall member formed of screen,"aplurality of vertically disposed racks carried by the bottom wall of the basket member and each including opposite foramlnous wall members having convergently-related perforated guard plates at theirupper ends, a water trough lying beneathsaid perforated guard plates, wick I'members arranged in said troughs andhang- I thereof formedby ingdownwardly lying the racks and having the bottom wall 7 the levelfof the water in .the lower reservoir, a plurality of. substantiallyT-shaped air distributing heads communicating with the-conduit and having side air circulating openings and also provided with perforated nozzles adapted to direct the air inwardly through the screens of the racks to a point' beneath the guard plates, and means for impelling the air drawn from the basket through the conduit and to the air distributing members.

5. In tobacco, treating apparatua'a liquid trough, means for supporting different portrough, and a pair of for charging the air confined" behind the screen walls of' the rack, a' conduit forming member underrespectively, said supporting means being perforated, and means for directing a curvrent of air across said trough and through the perforations of said tobacco supporting means. I

6. In tobacco treating apparatus, a. liquid perforated tobacco supporting membersin the form of plates extending from opposite sides ofsaid trough in upwardly convergent relation above the trough. w

7 In trough,

tobacco treating apparatus, .a liquid and a pair of perforated tobacco supporting membersin the form'of plates extending IEI'OIII'OPPOSltQSlClBS ofsaid trough in upwardly convergent relation abovethe trough, said plates terminating in spaced relation at their upper ends. a s

8. In tobacco treatmg'apparatus,aliquid trough, a screenat the side of said trough, a wickadjacent to' said screen,a perforated tobaccosupporting member extending from said screen across at least aportion of the topof said trough, and means for directing a current of air through said wickan'd: screen across the top of said trough and through the perforations of said tobacco supporting member. v .i 9. In tobacco treating apparatus, a casing,

a pair of spaced screens within said'casing,

a liquid trough between said screens, a wick hanging from said trough adjacent to the inner face of each screen, apair of tobacco supporting members. extending in upwardly convergent relation from said screens, re-

.spectively, above said trough, and means at the outside of each screen for directing a current of air through each screen and wick towards and acrossthe top of said trough.

. 10. Means for casing cured leaf tobacco including a' closed receptacle, moistair distributing units, means for supporting the hands oftobacco over the said units in a'posi- .tion permitting the moist air beingdirected inside of the hands toward the tiedv ends thereof, means for producing: a :moisture laden atmosphere within the receptacle, and a blower system for forcibly circulating the moisture laden air. through said-moist air distributing units In testimonywhereof hereunto our ,7

signatures. e 1 s RAMON FEBLES.

' JAMES W.:SMALL.

tions of a hand of; tobacco in spaced relation. abovejand at opposite sides of said trough, 

